The present invention relates to ink cartridges. More particularly the present invention relates to an automated refilling station for adding ink to printing device ink cartridges.
Printers and printing devices are used to print one or more hard copies of electronic data. Printing devices typically rely on replaceable printing cartridges to supply the required ink or printing fluid for such print jobs. Examples of printing devices that use printing cartridges include laser printers, inkjet printers, fax machines, copiers, and multifunction peripherals.
As used herein and in the attached claims, the expendable material used by a printing device to render a print job on a print medium, whether that material is, for example, ink, toner, or printing fluid, will be referred to collectively as xe2x80x9cink.xe2x80x9d Similarly, an ink cartridge is defined as a storage device that holds and dispenses ink when engaged in a printing device. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cprinterxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cprinting devicexe2x80x9d refers broadly to any device that makes use of a printing cartridge for a supply of ink.
Printing devices can print monochrome or color documents. In some cases, an ink cartridge may contain only black ink (K) for a monochrome printer. The ink cartridge for a color printer will typically hold four or more differently colored inks. Typical color printers use one cartridge that holds only black ink (K) and a second cartridge that contains three different colors of ink that can be blended to produce any color in the spectrum. The three colors most often used are cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). Individual colors may also be provided via individual cartridges.
As the printing process consumes the ink in a printing cartridge, the cartridge must be replaced or refilled. Presently, the use of computers and printing devices is constantly increasing. Thus, there is a proportional increase in the demand for ink and printing cartridges.
Most users simply buy an entirely new print cartridge when the ink cartridge in use is emptied. Ordering a new cartridge may be an expensive and time-consuming process for the user. Additionally, the hardware of a cartridge may still be completely serviceable even after the supply of ink in the cartridge has been expended. Many cartridges are unnecessarily thrown away because the user is unable to reuse the ink cartridge.
Consequently, some users attempt to refill the cartridge with a new supply of ink. While there are presently do-it-yourself cartridge refilling systems available, these systems present some problems. Cartridge refilling kits are often very messy and provide ink that is not specifically designed for a given cartridge and printer. The use of Inferior ink may shorten the useful life of the cartridge, cause smearing, or poor print quality. Inferior ink may also damage the cartridge and/or the printing device in which it is used.
Some cartridges are designed to be refillable, while many are not. Refillable cartridges have a manufacturer specified useful life and designated methods of refilling the cartridge. However, the user may often be unaware of the manufacturer""s recommendations. In such a case, the user may incorrectly fill the cartridge or attempt to use the cartridge beyond its useful life. Incorrect filling and using a cartridge beyond the useful life may cause some of the same problems noted above, e.g., degraded print quality and damage to the printing device.
In one of many possible embodiments, the present invention provides an ink cartridge refilling station that incorporates a receptacle for receiving an ink cartridge, a supply of ink and a refilling mechanism for automatically adding ink to the ink cartridge from the supply of ink. An ink cartridge, for use with the cartridge refilling station, includes a reservoir for holding a supply of ink and an input port communicating with the reservoir, the port being configured to receive ink from the automated ink refilling station.
Additional advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows or may be learned by those skilled in the art through reading these materials or practicing the invention. The advantages of the invention may be achieved through the means recited in the attached claims.